FAQ

In the frequently asked question section (FAQs), you will find answers to the most common questions about the Covenant of Mayors. The information you will find here is both for people with a general interest in the Covenant of Mayors and for Covenant signatories, Supporters or Coordinators looking for specific information. The FAQs are updated on a regular basis to reflect the most relevant questions coming from the Covenant Community.

Use the menu on the right to quickly find the answer you are looking for!

If your question is not in the list, you are welcome to get directly in touch with the Covenant Helpdesk at info@eumayors.eu.

Signatories who are working within the 2020 timeframe (Covenant of Mayors 2020) and/or adaptation (Mayors Adapt) are invited to renew and extend their commitments from their current mitigation and/or mitigation to the - to the 2030 commitments (Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy) with a new council deliberation and a 2030 adhesion form.

Covenant of Mayors

Signatories who have signed up to the Covenant of Mayors between 2008 and 2015 have made the voluntary commitment to go beyond EU's 2020 targets of 20 % in terms of reduction in CO2 emissions.

Mayors Adapt

Local authorities who signed up to Mayors Adapt the Covenant of Mayors on Adaptation - between 2014 and 2016, made the political commitments to take action to adapt to climate change.

Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy

Since October 2015, local authorities commit to reduce their CO2 emissions (and possibly other greenhouse gas) by at least 40%, increase their resilience to the impacts of climate change and provide secured access to sustainable and affordable energy by 2030.

Why is it free to sign up for the Covenant of Mayors?

The point of departure for the Covenant of Mayors was a call from European cities that was endorsed and supported by the European Commission. As the Covenant of Mayors is a bottom-up initiative and a voluntary commitment by municipalities to meet ambitious targets set by themselves, it is of no cost to join the Covenant of Mayors fulfil the targets and duly report in line with the Covenant methodology.

What do the Covenant signatories get in return?

The European Commission has committed to supporting local authorities involved in the Covenant of Mayors and providing public visibility for them.

Firstly, the Commission has implemented and funded the Covenant of Mayors Office (CoMO),CoMOCovenant of Mayors Office (CoMO), which assists Covenant signatories with any questions via the Helpdesk and promotes their local actions via the Covenant’s communication channels. The CoMO also co-ordinates the work with third parties and negotiates the support of relevant stakeholders.

Secondly, the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission works in co-operation with the CoMO to provide comprehensive technical guidelines and templates in order to assist signatories in their delivery on the Covenant of Mayors commitments as well as to monitor implementation and results of signatories’ Action Plans.

Thirdly, the European Commission has committed to mobilizing financial facilities and political support at EU level.

Based on surveys, existing Covenant Signatories find multiple reasons to join the movement, which include:

Make a public statement of their ambitious commitment to CO2 reduction,

Create or reinforce the dynamic on CO2 reduction in their territory,

Benefit from encouragement by and examples of other pioneers,

Share the expertise developed in their own territory with others,

Make their territory known as a pioneer,

Publicise their achievements to the Covenant community and beyond via the Covenant website,

Improve quality of life for their citizens,

Benefit from widespread technical support,

Reinforce collaboration with citizens and local stakeholders on their territory through the development and monitoring of their action plans

What do Covenant signatories have to deliver?

Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy
To translate their commitments into action, local authorities commit to:

Submit aSustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan(SECAP), approved by the municipal council within the described timeframe (one year for SEAPs and two years for SECAPs) following their official decision to join the Covenant of Mayors initiative, which outlines the measures and policies they will implement to achieve their targets;

Submit regularly - every two years after submission of their action plan - monitoring reports assessing the progress of their action plan;

Covenant of Mayors & Mayors Adapt (commitments before 2016)

For Covenant of Mayors and/or Mayors Adapt signatories, the commitments and associated reporting requirements remain as defined in the initial Commitment Text (signed when joining):

CoM signatories are therefore committed to submitting a Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) within one year after the formal signing and then a monitoring report every two years.

Mayors Adapt Signatories are committed to developing a local adaptation strategy and/or mainstreaming adaptation into existing relevant plans within two years of signing up to MA and then submit a monitoring report every two years.

Signatories accept the suspension of their membership in the initiative in case they do not submit the above-mentioned documents (SEAP/SECAP and monitoring reports) within the established deadlines. As soon as signatories submit their requested documents, they are reintegrated as members of the Covenant of Mayors. Suspension details.

The Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy

What is new in the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy?

Vision, ambition and scope of action
The Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy was launched on 15 October 2015 at the Joint Covenant of Mayors and Mayors Adapt Ceremony, where a long-term vision and new commitments towards 2030 were endorsed.

This initiative defines renewed commitment(s) and a shared long-term vision in order to tackle interconnected challenges: climate change mitigation, adaptation and access to secure, sustainable and affordable energy for all.

Increasing energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources on our territories, thus ensuring universal access to secure, sustainable and affordable energy services for all.

The initiative also proposes a new “global chapter” by inviting signatories to share their vision, results, experience and know-how with fellow local and regional authorities within the EU and beyond via decentralised cooperation and city-to-city twinning.

Commitments

By 2030, signatories commit to reducing carbon emissions across their territory by at least 40%, to increasing their resilience to the impacts of climate change and strengthening their efforts to provide access to secure, sustainable and affordable energy for all.

To translate commitments into action, a signatory commits to submitting a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) within two years following the local council decision and formal signing, including the mainstreaming of adaptation considerations into relevant policies, strategies and plans.

My local authority is already a signatory of the Covenant of Mayors - How can we renew our commitment?

As an existing signatory, you can renew your Covenant commitments at any time by adopting them in your municipal council and submitting the duly signed adhesion form available here.

If you have signed up to the Covenant of Mayors but have not yet started the preparation of your Sustainable Energy Action Plan:

You may instead consider channelling your efforts to prepare a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP), which focus on a 2030 horizon inclusive of both mitigation and resilience to the impacts of climate change. At the time of submitting your SECAP you will be requested to provide your new adhesion form.

If you have signed up to the Covenant of Mayors and have submitted a Sustainable Energy Action Plan:

You should keep your focus on implementing the 2020 commitments adopted by your municipal council and in assessing the progress towards them. If you wish to submit a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) before 2020, you should first report on your 2020 SEAP by submitting a monitoring template.

It will be up to each existing signatory to decide according to their planning cycles when they would like to sign up to the new commitments and thus prepare and submit a SECAP.

Please note that local authorities, who have previously signed the commitments for 2020 and now want to renew their commitments, should send their adhesion form for the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy directly to info@eumayors.eu, as online registration in this case is not possible.

My local authority is already a signatory of Mayors Adapt - How can we sign up to the new Covenant commitments?

As an existing signatory, you can renew your Covenant commitments at any time by adopting them in your municipal council and submitting the duly signed adhesion form available here.

If you have signed up to the Covenant of Mayors but have not yet started the preparation of your Sustainable Energy Action Plan:

You may instead consider channelling your efforts to prepare a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP), which focus on a 2030 horizon inclusive of both mitigation and resilience to the impacts of climate change. At the time of submitting your SECAP you will be requested to provide your new adhesion form.

If you have signed up to the Covenant of Mayors and have submitted a Sustainable Energy Action Plan:

You should keep your focus on implementing the 2020 commitments adopted by your municipal council and in assessing the progress towards them. If you wish to submit a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) before 2020, you should first report on your 2020 SEAP by submitting a monitoring template.

It will be up to each existing signatory to decide according to their planning cycles when they would like to sign up to the new commitments and thus prepare and submit a SECAP.

Please note that local authorities, who have previously signed the commitments for 2020 and now want to renew their commitments, should send their adhesion form for the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy directly to info@eumayors.eu, as online registration in this case is not possible.

Adhesion procedure - How to sign up to the Covenant of Mayors

Who can join?

European local authorities of all sizes - from small towns to big cities or major metropolitan areas - are eligible to sign up as Covenant signatory. The local authority must be democratically constituted with/by elected representatives.

As the initiative requires the design and implementation of a comprehensive Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP), the signatory’s governing bodies should have adequate competences in various fields, such as transport, buildings, land use planning, climate change adaptation etc. If an interested local authority lacks competences or resources to prepare its action plan, it should be supported by administrations with such capacities, i.e. Covenant Territorial Coordinators or Supporters.

How to join as a municipality?

Local authorities willing to sign up to the Covenant of Mayors must present and discuss the commitments in their municipal council (or equivalent decision-making body). Once a decision to sign up is formally made, local authorities should complete their information online here and upload their duly signed adhesion form, which can be downloaded in your national language here. The date of the council decision is the date that must be indicated as the council deliberation date in the Information and contact form. Local authorities, with a duly signed adhesion form and acceptance, will subsequently be included into the public list of Covenant signatories.
Note: The Covenant of Mayors is a voluntary commitment. Hence the adhesion is fullyfree of charge.

How to join as a group of municipalities

Small neighbouring municipalities can benefit from preparing a joint Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan. To join as a group, each municipality will have to sign up with the designated adhesion forms for joint SECAPs. The municipalities have two different options of collaboration:

Option 1 - individual commitments: each signatory in the group individually commits to reducing CO2 emissions by at least 20% by 2020 and/or 40% by 2030 and is thus required to complete its own template. The action plan can contain both individual and shared measures.

Option 2 - shared commitments: the group of signatories collectively commits to reducing CO2 emissions by at least 20% by 2020 and/or 40% by 2030. In this particular case only one single common template is to be filled-in by the group of signatories, which is then listed under a grouped signatory profile on the public website.

More information on the joint SECAP options is available in this quick reference guide (EN, DE, ES, FR, IT, NL).

Exceeding a deadline - Signatory on hold

When will a signatory be put on hold?

As described in the commitment documents all Signatories accept suspension of their membership in the initiative in case they do not submit the above-mentioned documents (SEAP/SECAP and monitoring reports) within the established deadlines. This is a part of the Covenant Commitments, which all Signatories have committed to when signing the Covenant of Mayors.
When a signatory is put on hold, their profile on the public website will turn grey and will not appear when searching for signatories. A signatory on hold can be found by searching specifically via the

Can a signatory come back from being on hold?

A signatory that has exceeded a reporting deadline and has been put on hold will still have access to their signatory profile under ‘My Covenant’ and can always come back on track.
As soon as the signatory has submitted the missing report it will automatically re-appear as an active signatory on the public website and in the search engine for active Signatories. The delay is not recorded anywhere on the public website and will have no consequences for the future Covenant of Mayors activities.

Covenant of Mayors Office

What is the Covenant of Mayors Office (CoMO)?

Funded by the European Commission, the Covenant of Mayors Office (CoMO) is responsible for the overall coordination of the initiative. The CoMO is managed by a consortium of experienced European networks representing local and regional authorities composed by Energy Cities, CEMR, Climate Alliance, EUROCITIES, FEDARENE and ICLEI Europe.
The coordination of the initiative is done in collaboration with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, which is responsible for evaluating the Action Plans submitted by signatories via the online reporting system that signatories can find when they log in to ‘My Covenant’.

facilitate networking activities within the Covenant of Mayors community.

The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission is responsible for the evaluation of Action Plans, providing feedback to signatories as well as answering technical inquiries.

Baseline Emission Inventory (BEI)

What is a Baseline Emission Inventory?

The Baseline Emission Inventory (BEI) quantifies the amount of CO2 emitted due to energy consumption in the territory of the Covenant signatory. It allows identifying the principal sources of CO2 emissions and their respective reduction potentials.
Detailed information on developing a Baseline Emission Inventory can be found in the 2. Part of the SEAP guidebook ‘Part II Baseline Emission Inventory’.

Is it possible to use existing tools for calculating the CO2 emissions?

All Covenant signatories can choose their own tools for the calculation of their emissions. However, they need to make sure that the reported inventory is in line with the general principles specified and detailed in the SEAP Guidebook (en, de, fr, it & es) available in our online library. Notice the SEAP guidebook refers to the mitigation part only and the guidelines remain the same when developing your Baseline Emission Inventory for a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP).

Which is the baseline year for calculating the CO2 emissions?

The base year is the reference year against which your target shall be compared to. You are free to choose the year for which you can get the most comprehensive and reliable data. If you would like to compare your emission reduction with the EU target, then the recommended base year of the inventory is 1990.
See the base years adopted by Covenant signatories here.

What is the scope of the Baseline Emission Inventory?

The Baseline Emission Inventory should essentially be based on the final energy consumption data, i.e. what is consumed by the final end-users (incl. electricity, heat/cold and fuel) within the boundaries of the local authority.

Local energy production can also be included in the inventory if the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan includes actions related to it (e.g. PVs, wind power, district heating or Combined Heat and Power). The SEAP Guidebook (en, de, fr, it & es) provides more information on this option. Notice that the SEAP guidebook is prepared for mitigation only but can be used as an up-to-date guidance for developing a Baseline Emission Inventory for the SECAPs as well.

What approach may be chosen when establishing the Baseline Emission Inventory?

Two different approaches may be chosen when establishing the Baseline Emission Inventory at local level, namely:

The territorial or IPCC approach, covering all the CO2 emissions occurring due to final energy consumption in the territory of the local authority.

The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach, considering the overall life cycle of the fuels/electricity. This includes all emissions of the energy chain that also take place outside the territory (such as transport losses, refinery emissions or energy conversion losses).

Which sectors should be considered in the Baseline Emission Inventory?

The Covenant of Mayors commitments concern the entire geographical area of the local authority. Hence, the Baseline Emission Inventory should take into consideration the energy consumed in all sectors of activity. The Covenant key sectors are the following:

Municipal buildings, equipment/facilities;

Tertiary (non-municipal) buildings, equipment/facilities;

Residential buildings;

Transport.

When to carry out a Monitoring Emission Inventory (MEI)?

In order to monitor the energy consumption and CO2 emissions data effectively and adapt the Action Plan accordingly if necessary, Covenant signatories are encouraged to compile Monitoring Emission Inventories on a regular basis. Our recommendation is to do this on a yearly basis, and the minimal requirement in the context of the Covenant of Mayors is to do it at least every 4 years. In this way, subsequent inventories may be compared with the Baseline Emission Inventory, and progress with energy savings, renewable energy production and CO2 emission reduction measures adopted can be monitored.

Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (RVA)

What is a Risk and Vulnerability Assessment?

The Risk and Vulnerability Assessment is an analysis that determines the nature and extent of risk, by analyzing potential hazards and assessing vulnerability that could pose a potential threat or harm to people, property, livelihoods and the environment on which they depend. It allows the identification of areas of critical concern and therefore provides information for decision-making. The assessment could address risks related to floods, extreme temperatures and heat waves, droughts and water scarcity, storms and other extreme weather events, increased forest fires, sea level rise and coastal erosion (if applicable).
The Risk and Vulnerability Assessment serves, along with the Baseline Emission Inventory, as the point of departure for the development of the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan.

Where to find support to prepare a Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (RVA)?

The Urban Adaptation Support Tool provides a detailed step-by-step guide to developing a Risk and Vulnerability Assessment. The guide furthermore provides support in utilizing the RVA and translating the findings into adaptation measures.
You can find the Urban Adaptation Support Toolhere.

What is a Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) or Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP)?

Signatories of the former Covenant of Mayors addressing only energy and climate change mitigation have committed to prepare and implement a Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) before 2020. Signatories of the new Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy now commit to prepare and implement Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP), addressing both climate mitigation and adaptation before 2030.

The action plan (both SEAP and SECAP) is the key document which shows how the Covenant signatory will reach its vision and target. The plan includes an assessment of the current situation, i.e. a Baseline Emission Inventory for the climate mitigation part (both SEAP and SECAP) and a Risk and Vulnerability Assessment for the adaptation part (For SECAP only); clearly identified goals and targets; and the measures planned together with time frames, assigned responsibilities and estimated impacts.

Scope of action:

The Covenant of Mayors concerns the action at local level within the competence of the local authorities involved. Hence, it is expected that the Covenant signatories will take action in several or all of their possible roles:

Consumer and model: All local authorities are responsible for their own energy consumption. At the same time, they play an exemplary role by encouraging citizens and other stakeholders to use energy more efficiently.

Planner, developer and regulator: All local authorities are usually responsible for building, transport and land use planning policies. They have the power to: optimize the energy performance of new facilities, integrate sustainable transport measures and adaptation strategies in local planning practice. They shape transport/energy performance by legal decisions and regulatory instruments.

Producer and supplier: Local authorities may also act as a local utility or service provider promoting local energy production and using renewable energy sources (e.g. Combined Heat and Power/CHPs, district heating systems etc.).

Advisor and motivator: Awareness-raising activities are important to engage the whole community to support sustainable energy and climate policies. Local authorities can act as advisor and educator for citizens and other stakeholders (e.g. architects, planners or craftsmen).

Which sectors/fields of action are considered in a SEAP and in a SECAP?

Since the Covenant's commitments concern the whole geographical area of the local authority, the action plan should include actions that cover the sectors of activity from both public and private actors.
Covenant signatories are free to choose their main areas of action. In principle, it is anticipated that most action plans will cover the sectors that are taken into account within the emission inventory and risk and vulnerability assessment (for SECAP only).
For the mitigation part (both SEAP and SECAP): It is recommended to include actions targeting the Covenant key sectors:

Municipal buildings, equipment/facilities;

Tertiary (non municipal) buildings, equipment/facilities

Residential buildings

Transport.

Actions can also be included for other sectors such as:

Industry;

Local electricity production;

Local heat/cold production;

Others (e.g. Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries).

For the adaptation part (For SECAP only):

Identification of the sectors to increase the resilience in a city is highly contextual. A solid and comprehensive climate adaptation strategy therefore involves thinking adaptation into all aspects of municipal services affected by climate change. Some of the main sectors that can improve the resilience of cities include:

Infrastructure

Public Services

Land Use Planning

Environment & Biodiversity

Agriculture & Forestry

Economy.

Can an already existing local climate and energy plan (SEAP) be sufficient to fulfil the requirements a SEAP/SECAP?

In order to make sure that your existing Action Plan fulfils the minimal requirements set in the context of the Covenant of Mayors, please review the document according to the 10 key principles for the energy and climate mitigation part (see in the SEAP Guidebook- en, de, fr, it & es, page 8).

The action plan must contain a clear reference to the core commitments, i.e.at least 20%. CO2 emissions reduction by 2020 and/or 40% CO2 emissions reduction by 2030 and increased resilience to the impacts of climate change (SECAP)taken by the local authority when signing the Covenant of Mayors.

The strategic commitments have to be translated into concrete actions in the short and medium term, as well as longer term strategies and goals. If your existing action plan has a shorter or a longer timeframe than the Covenant timeframes (i.e. 2020 or 2030), you have to adjust it to the Covenant target time horizons and include the Covenant target in your action plan approved by the City Council.

In addition, the key elements of your action plan have to be reported in the online template available in ‘My Covenant’. Please check the Reporting Guidelines available in the library.

When to submit the SEAP/SECAP?

Deadline for SEAP submission

Signatories to the Covenant of Mayors related to the 2020 framework, commit to submitting their Sustainable Energy Action Plans where the Covenant objectives and measures are justified within one year following the local council decision as indicated in the adhesion document.

Deadline for SECAP submission

Signatories to the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy related to the 2030 framework commit to submitting their Sustainable Energy and Climate Plan, including justified objectives and actions within two years following the date of the local council decision as indicated in the adhesion document.

How to submit the SEAP/SECAP?

For submitting your SEAP:

Covenant Signatories are invited to use the on-line submission system available via 'My Covenant' (the website extranet section). The procedure includes the following steps:

1. Log in to ‘My Covenant’ using your personal identifiers - You can retrieve your password at any time under the ‘sign-in’ section.

2. Fill in the ‘SEAP template’ in English - Click on 'My action plan' > 'SEAP template' in the blue menu at the top of the homepage and complete the following three sections: your 'Overall Strategy', your 'Baseline Emission Inventory' and your 'SEAP'. All the green cells are mandatory! A specific instructions document for filling in the template is available on the Covenant website library.

In 2017, a preliminary checking system of the template will be made available, allowing the detection of errors or inconsistencies. For this, you should click on the ‘See notification checklist’ button. This will be run through a parallel online application, developed and managed by the JRC.

Once submitted, your SEAP will be analysed by the JRC and you shall receive a feedback report. More information on the SEAP assessment procedure can be foundhere.

For submitting your SECAP:

The SECAP submission procedure is currently under development, as a part of upgrading the existing SEAP template to also include reporting for 2030 commitments and adaptation. During 2016, the SECAP template will only be available in EXCEL format in the library. New signatories can use the EXCEL version as a working tool as well as to get acquainted with the reporting framework that will be introduced online within the last quarter of 2017.

In the meantime, new signatories will be able to upload any documents, e.g. adaptation strategy as part of the SEAP template submission procedure currently in place. New signatories can also use the current SEAP template to submit information for 2030 time horizon (instead of 2020) in what regards climate mitigation. However, they will have to complete the remaining parts for climate adaptation once the SECAP online template is available in 2017.

How can a group of Covenant signatories submit a joint action plan?

A group of neighbouring local authorities joining the Covenant of Mayors and willing to elaborate a joint SEAP/SECAP is welcome to do so. The group can choose between the following two collaboration options:

Option 1:

- Mitigation: Each signatory of the group individually commits to reducing CO2 emissions (SEAP). Because the emission reduction target remains an individual commitment, ALL signatories have to fill in their own SEAP/SECAP template, including their own CO2 / energy consumption data. CO2 emission reductions resulting from common actions identified in the joint SEAP/SECAP have to be shared among the signatories and accounted for in each SEAP/SECAP template, according to transparent rules described in the joint SEAP document. The joint SEAP/SECAP has to be approved by the municipal council (or equivalent decision-making body) of each municipality involved and uploaded by each of the local authorities onto their profile via ‘My Covenant’ (restricted area). The names of the local authorities that are covered by the SEAP/SECAP must be clearly indicated in the Action Plan. This type of joint SEAP/SECAP is described in the SEAP Guidebook (EN, DE, FR, IT & ES).
- Adaptation (For SECAP only): Signatories can decide to prepare a Risk and Vulnerability Assessment and its corresponding actions jointly or individuallyWhen joining as a group of municipalities with option 1, each municipality will register individually by fillingin Local authority’s information & contact details, indicate it is a group of municipalities committing as a joint SEAP/SECAP option 1 by ticking the box in the online registration form and include the associated municipalities where required in the form.

Option 2:

- Mitigation: the group of signatories collectively commits to reducing CO2 emissions. In this case, the emission reduction target is a commitment shared between the different authorities composing the group. Therefore, ONE single SEAP/SECAP template needs to be filled in by the group of Signatories. The joint Action Plan has to be approved by the municipal council (or equivalent decision-making body) of each involved Signatory and uploaded by the group onto a shared profile via ‘My Covenant’ (restricted area). The names of the local authorities that are covered by the SEAP/SECAP, as well as their level of contribution to the overall plan must be clearly indicated in the SEAP/SECAP document. This option aims at fostering inter-institutional co-operation by facilitating joint approaches with neighbouring authorities. It is particularly recommended to small- and medium-sized municipalities lacking human and/or financial resources as well as to municipalities within the same urban areas. More information on this can be found in the Addendum 1 to the SEAP Guidebook and the Quick Reference Guide - Joint Sustainable Energy Action Plan.
- Adaptation (For SECAP only): Signatories can decide to prepare a Risk and Vulnerability Assessment and its corresponding actionsjointly or individuallyWhen joining as a group of municipalities with option 2, only one profile must be set up. This joint profile must include all individual adhesion forms when registering the Local authority’s information & contact details online. It shall furthermore be indicated that it is a group of municipalities committing as a joint SEAP/SECAP option 2 by ticking the box in the online form and include the associated municipalities where required in the form.

In both cases, the ‘group of Signatories’ is strongly encouraged to appoint a body/authority responsible for coordinating the work throughout the SEAP/SECAP development and implementation process. It could be for example one of the most active / advanced municipality among the group, the agglomeration in case of urban areas, or the province / region acting as official Covenant Coordinator (see the list of Covenant Coordinators).
If you are interested in joining the Covenant of Mayors as a ‘group of Signatories’, please contact the Covenant of Mayors Office (info@eumayors.eu). The CoMO reserves the right to decline any application which would not comply with the eligibility criteria defined in theAddendum 1 to the SEAP Guidebook (e.g. for option 2: the group must be composed of small- and medium-sized municipalities within the same territorial area, indicatively with less than 10,000 inhabitants each).

The adhesion form must be signed by all local authorities involved in the group, after official approval by their respective municipal councils.

How to request an extension of your SEAP/SECAP submission deadline?

Signatories are committed to submitting a SEAP (1 year after the adhesion date*) / SECAP (2 years after the adhesion date*). If the SEAP/SECAP cannot be completed by that date, Covenant Signatories (or Covenant Coordinators on behalf of their associated Signatories) must request an extension. To do so, they are invited to fill in the online delay request form, available in 'My Covenant' (Covenant website extranet).
*The reference adhesion date is the date of decision by the municipal council

If you are an individual Signatory (i.e. not belonging to any official Covenant Territorial Coordinator):

A 9-month extension may be granted to individual Signatories where circumstances, outside the local authority’ control, delay the completion and submission of the SEAP/SECAP by the official submission date.

9-month Deadline Extension Procedure:

- Go to ‘My Covenant’ and log in with your personal identifiers.
- Click ‘My Action Plan’ > ‘Submit a delay request’ and fill in the form (all fields marked with an asterisk * are compulsory). The request must include the main reasons of the delay.
- Press the ‘Submit delay request’ button. You (and other contact persons associated to the profile) will receive a confirmation by email within 1 day.

- Go to ‘My Covenant’ and log in with their personal identifiers.
- Click ‘My Signatories’ > ‘Submit a delay request’ and fill in the form (all fields marked with an asterisk * are compulsory). The request must include: the main reasons for requesting a common extension and a brief description of the instrument(s)/service(s) developed by CTC to support Signatories.
- Press the ‘Submit delay request’ button. The extension will then be automatically granted to the associated municipalities. You (and the municipalities within your territory) will receive a confirmation by email within 1 day.

The global success and the credibility of the initiative depend upon the fulfilment of the commitments taken by its signatories. The European Commission, recognising the efforts undertaken by other local authorities having complied with these commitments and respecting the termination clause of theCovenant of Mayors official texts (*), suspends Signatories in case of non-submission within the revised timeframe. However, the signatory status in the Covenant of Mayors can be re-activated at any time, provided that the municipality fulfils its first commitment and duly submits an action plan on-line through our extranet system (“My Covenant”). See the FAQ: 'How to submit the SEAP?'.

__________________________________________________________________________
(*) Short extract from the Covenant official text (page 7):

“Suspension in case of non- compliance:

'Signatories accept to be suspended from the initiative'subject to prior notice in writing by the Covenant of Mayors Office in the event of non-submission of the abovementioned documents (i.e. Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan and Monitoring Reports) within the established deadlines. This procedure ensures transparency, robustness and fairness vis-à-vis other signatories who deliver on their commitments'

Note: With the new -fully automatic and transparent- suspension procedure, the information on whether or not signatories are respecting their commitments is publicly available under their individual profiles - see thelist of Signatories. In case of suspended signatories, the public profiles are greyed out with the following notification: 'Signatory on hold - deadline over'.

What happens once the SEAP is submitted? - SEAP/SECAP assessment

Once your action plan is submitted via the online reporting platform ‘My Covenant’, all the key results of your action plan are automatically displayed in a graphical manner in your signatory profile in the Covenant website. Furthermore, if you choose, all your uploaded documents become available for download in your public profile.

The action plan is afterwards submitted to an evaluation process carried out by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, which will check if the plan fulfils the eligibility criteria and send you a feedback report.

The evaluation process is mainly based on the description encoded in the SEAP/SECAP online template. Therefore, all Covenant signatories should ensure that information filled in the template is well-consistent with their full SEAP/SECAP document.

The eligibility criteria are the following:

1) The action plan must be approved by the Municipal Council or equivalent body.

3) The action plan must be based on the results of a comprehensive Baseline Emission Inventory (BEI) and Climate Risk & Vulnerability Assessment(s).

4) For mitigation, the action plan must cover the key sectors of activity (Municipal, Tertiary, Residential and Transport).

a) The Baseline Emission Inventory must cover at least three out of four key sectors.

b) The mitigation actions must cover at least two out of four key sectors.

The Covenant signatory will be contacted if the online template is deemed incomplete or if any additional information is needed.

Note:

The indicative timeframe for SEAP/SECAP analysis is six months.

For specific information on the assessment of your action plan the Joint Research Centre can be contacted via: jrc-com-technical-helpdesk[at]ec.europa.eu

In cases where a Covenant Coordinator is coordinating the action plans, a grouped analysis can be carried out by the JRC in order to provide a faster feedback. If your province/region has developed a common approach to assist signatories with their action plans you are kindly invited to contact the JRC: jrc-com-technical-helpdesk[at]ec.europa.eu (more information here).

The Covenant of Mayors reporting templates

What is a reporting template?

The Covenant of Mayors reporting templates provide signatories with a structured manner of summarising the key elements of their action plan and tracking of implementation during the monitoring phase. It has been developed by the Covenant of Mayors Office and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre with the collaboration of a group of practitioners from local and regional authorities.

When signatories submit their action plan document (in their national language), they are at the same time required to complete an online template available via the Covenant website restricted area: ‘My Covenant’ in English. Only after this process is completed, the official submission of the action plan to the Covenant of Mayors takes place.

The SEAP template, currently used by signatories of the Covenant of Mayors 2020 framework, include three main parts:

Overall strategy: specifying the overall CO2 emissions reduction target, the vision the attribution of staff and financial capacities, the involvement of stakeholders and citizens among others.

Emission Inventories: indicating the current level of final energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions by energy carrier and by sector.

Action Plan: defining the list of key actions set up to put the overall strategy into action, together with timeframes, assigned responsibilities, allocated budgets and estimates of the impacts.

Please consult the ‘Reporting Guidelines on Sustainable Energy Action Plan and Monitoring’ for step-by-step guidance available in the website library.

The SECAP template used by signatories of the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, which includes the 2030 framework for mitigation as well as climate adaptation, include the following parts:

Introduction:

Strategy: specifying the overall strategy to reach the Covenant commitments both for mitigation and adaptation. It includes the vision, the CO2 emissions reduction target(s), adaptation goals, the attribution of staff and financial capacities, the involvement of stakeholders and citizens among others.

Section I: Energy and climate mitigation:

Emission Inventories: indicating the current level of final energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions by energy carrier and by sector.

Mitigation Actions: defining the list of key mitigation actions set up to put the overall strategy into action, together with timeframes, assigned responsibilities, allocated budgets and estimates of the impacts.

Section II: Climate adaptation:

Adaptation Scoreboard: providing a snapshot of the local authorities’ status in the adaptation process

Risks and Vulnerabilities: determining the potential sectors and the level of risk climate change poses to them

Adaptation Actions: defining the list of key actions set up to put the overall strategy into action, together with timeframes, assigned responsibilities, allocated budgets and what risks and vulnerabilities the action accommodate.

Indicators: Serving as a check-list and inspiration for a comprehensive local plan for adapting to climate change.

Please consult the ‘The Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy’Reporting Guidelines" for step-by-step guidance available in the website library.

Highlights of the collected information in the template are provided in a graphical format which is then shown in each signatory profile on the Covenant of Mayors website.

Note:During 2016, the SECAP template will only be available in EXCEL format in the library. Signatories can use the EXCEL version as a working tool as well as to get acquainted with the reporting framework that will be introduced online as of 2017. In the meantime, signatories will be able to upload any documents, e.g. adaptation strategy as part of their SEAP template submission procedure.

In what format is the template available?

The official submission of your action to the Covenant of Mayors has to be done using the online template available in the Covenant website restricted area: 'My Covenant'.

An EXCEL version of the SECAP template is available in the website library for download. This Excel-based template is an offline working version of the official online template which has to be completed in English and submitted online. Please note that it is not possible to export the data entered in the Excel to the online platform and vice-versa.

Note: Signatories to the Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy can use the current online platform to report on climate mitigation for 2030 and upload any documents related to climate adaptation. As soon as the online SECAP template has been developed in 2017 full reporting on both climate mitigation and adaptation will be available through the online platform.

When filling in the SEAP/SECAP template, should the Covenant signatories only report on data of their Baseline Emission Inventory (BEI) or can they share further inventories already compiled since the baseline year?

When submitting their action plan, Covenant signatories are required to fill in their Baseline Emission Inventory as part of their template.
In addition, they are strongly encouraged to include information on their subsequent inventories, the so-called Monitoring Emission Inventories (MEIs), when existing (especially the most recent one).
For example, several Covenant Signatories have carried out a Baseline Emission Inventory for the year 1990 and then have included more recent inventories (MEIs) in their action plan template.

When filling in the SEAP/SECAP template, should the Covenant signatories also report on some of the actions already carried out causing considerable CO2 emission reductions?

If you have already implemented emission reduction actions, the results are visible when comparing the Baseline Emission Inventory (BEI) with subsequent inventories. You can describe these actions in both the action plan and the monitoring reports. It is not necessary to report on past (completed) actions in the action plan template, as at this stage you are defining the actions you plan to implement in order to reach the target set If you opt by including past actions in your action plan, you could select some of them as “Benchmarks of Excellence” within your template and have these actions highlighted in the “Benchmarks of Excellence” catalogue in the Covenant website.

How to estimate the expected final CO2 reductions per sector in the SEAP/SECAP template?

Estimates of CO2 emissions reduction (by 2020 for SEAPs and by 2030 for SECAPs) are required in the last columns of the 'Key elements of your Action Plan' table in the template. Covenant Signatories can decide to establish these estimates either 'compared to their baseline year levels' (see option 1) or 'based on the results of their latest inventory year' (see option 2).

Example

Baseline year: 1990

Total CO2 emissions in the baseline year: 1 million tonnes

Overall CO2 reduction target: 25% by 2020, i.e. 250 000 tonnes

Total CO2 emissions in 2009: 900 000 tonnes, a per a recent CO2 emissions inventory

Option 1: Take the results of your Baseline Emission Inventory as a reference, and evaluate the expected contribution of each sector to the overall CO2 reduction target

Under this option, the sum of the CO2 reductions expected in the various sectors should correspond to the overall CO2 reduction target. In the example above, this should thus correspond to 250 000 tonnes.

Option 2: Take the results of your latest emission inventory as a reference, and evaluate the expected contribution of each sector to the remaining effort needed to reach the overall 2020 objective

Under this option, the sum of the CO2 reductions expected in the various sectors should correspond to the remaining effort. In the example above, this corresponds to 150 000 tons: since you have already achieved 100 000 tonnes of CO2 emission reduction since 1990, you 'only' aim at reducing further 150 000 tonnes of CO2 overall. This option is only valid if you have carried out a recent monitoring emissions inventory and you have reported on it in the SEAP/SECAP template.

NOTES:

- These estimates are compulsory at the sectoral level for the sectors where you have defined actions in your action plan.

- If you have opted for a recent baseline year, those two options should lead to identical figures. These options were designed to facilitate the work of cities having opted for a baseline year that is far in the past (e.g. 1990).

- Graphical highlights based on these figures will be published on the Covenant of Mayors website, under the signatory profiles.

Please consult the Reporting Guidelines available in the website library for further information.

What if your CO2 reduction target has a different horizon than 2020 or 2030?

The years 2020 and 2030 are the time horizons of your commitment in the Covenant of Mayors. For this reason, and for the sake of comparability, all the Covenant Signatories should identify a target for 2020 and/or 2030. For instance, if your local authority has set a long term target beyond 2030, an intermediate target for 2020 or 2030, depending on your Covenant commitment, should be set in addition. In the SEAP/SECAP template, you have the possibility to specify 2020, 2030 and a longer-term target (optional) of your choice in the Strategy part.

Monitoring report

What is a monitoring report?

Monitoring and evaluating results is important for following up on the main achievements and for continuously improving your action plan (in case corrective measures are needed). Covenant Signatories are committed to regularly submit monitoring reports to show the results achieved at a glance, both in terms of measures implemented and CO2emissions reduction.

How to submit the monitoring report?

Covenant Signatories are invited to use the on-line submission system available via the website restricted area: 'My Covenant'. The procedure includes the following steps:

1. Log in to ‘My Covenant’ using your personal identifiers - You can retrieve your password at any time under the ‘sign-in’ section.

2. Fill in the ‘Monitoring template’ in English - Click on 'My progress' > 'Get started' or ‘Fill in a monitoring template’ in the blue menu at the top of the homepage. Choose if you wish to monitor by making use of Action Reporting (without including a Monitoring Emission Inventory (MEI)) or Full Reporting (including at least one recent MEI). Please note that all the green cells are mandatory. Note also that you must submit at least three actions as Benchmarks of Excellence.

3. Upload your Monitoring Report document (optional) - After filling in the monitoring template, if you wish to add your Monitoring Report document click on ‘Upload monitoring document’ and upload it in a PDF format. If you do not wish to do so, proceed by clicking ‘Go to submission’.

4. Validate your online Monitoring submission - Click on 'submit' in order to have your monitoring template officially submitted. A preliminary checking system of the template will be made available in 2017, allowing the detection of errors or inconsistencies. For this, you should click on the ‘See notification checklist’ button. This will be run through a parallel online application, developed and managed by the JRC.

Please consult the Reporting Guidelines available in the website library for step by step guidance on the process of completing the template.

How to request an extension of your monitoring template submission deadline?

To request an extension of the deadline for submitting your monitoring template please provide a short explanation for the extension request to info@eumayors.eu You will receive a confirmation, when the extension has been granted.

If you are an individual Signatory (i.e. not belonging to any official Covenant Coordinator):

A 9-month extension may be granted to individual Signatories where circumstances, outside the local authority’ control, delay the completion and submission of the monitoring report by the official submission date.

If you belong to an official Covenant Coordinator:

When supported by an official Covenant Coordinator, the Coordinator can ask for an 18-months extension for all supported signatories.

Benchmarks of Excellence

How to submit a Benchmark of Excellence?

Go to 'My Action Plan' > 'My Sustainable Energy Action Plan' and select among their list actions to be highlighted as Benchmarks of Excellence by clicking on the 'star' icon. Please note that only actions currently in place are eligible for submission

Fill in all the information in English: provide a short description of the highlighted actions along with key figures in terms of CO2 reduction, energy savings, renewable energy, implementation cost and/or jobs created.

Covenant Coordinators and Supporters should adopt the following procedure:

Complete all the information in English, including a short description, the signatories involved and the category to which the Benchmark of Excellence refers.

Note: The Covenant of Mayors Office reserves the right to remove from the public website any submitted Benchmark of Excellence, if the information provided is incomplete and/or if, in the case of signatories' Benchmarks, the action is not in the implementation stage.

What is a Benchmark of Excellence?

Benchmarks of Excellence are proposed as relevant examples of local initiatives which Covenant Signatories, Coordinators and Supporters have realised in their territories and feel particularly proud of, and moreover endorse as useful actions for other local authorities to replicate.

The Benchmarks of Excellence catalogue provides an online platform for promoting good practices and showcasing actions that have a large replication potential. The catalogue can be explored here.

When submitting their Monitoring template, Covenant signatories are required to submit at least three implemented actions as Benchmarks of Excellence, for which they shall provide more detailed information.

Local Climate and Energy Days

What is a Local Climate and Energy Day?

A Climate and Energy Day is a local event that aims to raise public awareness on issues such as energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy sources, resilience to climate change and the links between energy and climate change. Usually organised during a specific period, the types of events may vary, but often include activities such as workshops, exhibitions, guided visits and open door days.Examples of local Energy Days in theCovenant online agenda.

Why organise Local Climate and Energy Days?

As the Action Plan concerns the whole territory - not only municipal buildings and vehicles but also private housing, tertiary sector and transport - it is thus crucial to involve local stakeholders and citizens in the preparation and implementation of the Action Plan.

Each Covenant signatory can increase the level of their involvement through efficient communication and awareness raising activities focused on their energy and climate objectives.

How to get support?

Furthermore, every year the European Commission hosts the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) focusing on energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions. An essential part of EUSEW is the Local Energy Days, organized by local authorities throughout Europe.

A Local Energy Day is defined as a not-for-profit event, activity, project, exhibition or display that promotes energy efficiency or renewable energy. Activities such as exhibitions, conferences, online events, performances, guided tours, open door days, workshops, media campaigns and concerts are all eligible.

A specific webpage outlining some of the main financial facilities is also available on the Covenant website - click here.

What is available for local authorities under the Horizon 2020 programme?

Horizon 2020 is the main EU Research and Innovation programme with nearly €80 billion of funding available over seven years (2014 to 2020). The programme is structured in three main pillars: Excellent Science, Industrial Leadership and Societal Challenges. These pillars are divided into different priority areas. Two areas are of particular interest to local authorities: ‘Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy’ and ‘Smart, Green and Integrated Transport’.
The main priorities identified for local authorities under the area of ‘Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy’ for each focus area are as follows:

Covenant Supporters

What is a Covenant Supporter?

Covenant Supporters are associations of local and regional authorities, networks, thematic local and regional agencies and not-for-profit organisations with the capacity to promote the Covenant of Mayors and to mobilise and support their members and/or local authorities to attain the Covenant of Mayors' objectives. They leverage their advocacy, communication and networking activities to promote the Covenant of Mayors initiative and support the commitments of their signatories.

What is the role of Covenant Supporters?

Having expert knowledge of the regulatory, legislative and financial framework under which they operate, Covenant Supporters are ideally placed to provide tailored advice to signatories and identify synergies with existing initiatives. They can also provide technical expertise to Covenant signatories.
Tasks to be undertaken by a Covenant Supporter include:

Promote the Covenant of Mayors initiative, mobilising existing and potential signatories (adaptation of Covenant promotional materials to the national or regional context, inform about it through newsletters, website, workshops, events)

Support and advise Covenant of Mayors signatories

Support exchanges and share knowledge, experiences, best practices, tools or resources relevant to Covenant signatories

Work in Partnership with other Covenant Supporters and National/Territorial Coordinators, Signatories and stakeholders involved in the Covenant of Mayors-related policies to foster joint action and promote a coordinated approach

Better accompany their activities of own members and/or local authorities on sustainable energy and adaptation to climate change

Participate in Covenant of Mayors activities, and help identify relevant events where the Covenant of Mayors could be promoted

Report regularly, and not less than every two years, to the Covenant of Mayors Office on the activities carried out in the framework of the initiative, and participate in the strategic implementation of the Covenant.

Covenant Supporters’ participation in the initiative will be suspended by the Covenant of Mayors Office in case of non-compliance with the above-mentioned commitments.

How, in practice, are Covenant Supporters involved in the initiative and what are the benefits?

The advantages of becoming Covenant Supporter are manifold:

Endorsement and recognition from the European Commission

Large visibility on an international scale, notably through promotion of their actions on the Covenant website

Networking and experience and knowledge-sharing with European counterparts

Participation in dedicated discussion groups, workshops and other experience-sharing platforms

Last but not least, consolidation of territorial development and strengthening of local governance.

In practice, your organisation as Covenant Supporter has access to the password-protected area of the website ’My Covenant’, which offers a platform to share information and key data with the whole Covenant community, and increase the visibility of your organisation.
Through My Covenant, you can:

Keep your profile always up-to-date

Make your Benchmarks of Excellence (i.e. your key implemented actions) visible to the Covenant community and beyond

Upload and share useful resources on the Capacity sharing platform, and participate to discussion groups

Publish your events in the agenda

Network with the Covenant community (through forums, webinars, events …) and get inspired by their actions

The extranet (My Covenant) and the public profile are synchronised: most of the information you enter in the extranet directly feeds into the public website

How to apply?

If your organization is interested in becoming an official Covenant Supporter, it should go through the following process:

After confirmation of eligibility, fill-in and sign the commitment statement you will receive, and send it back to the Covenant Helpdesk (supporters[at]eumayors.eu)

Upon reception of the duly filled-in and signed commitment statement, the Covenant of Mayors Office will create an online profile for your organization that will allow you to actively participate in the Covenant of Mayors community and help you better support your associated signatories.

Covenant Supporters and the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy

No, there is no obligation for existing Covenant of Mayors Supporters, LAREAs or Associated Partners to join the new initiative. The organisation will keep its status, and can decide if and when to renew its commitments to support signatories in achieving their targets for 2030, and develop their adaptation actions. You should however encourage your members and signatories of your territory to join the new initiative in order to scale up their ambitions.

I am not a Covenant Supporter yet and I would like to join the new initiative, how can I join?

To obtain the status of Covenant Supporter or to renew your commitment, please refer to "How to apply".

Covenant Coordinators

What is a Covenant Coordinator?

Covenant Coordinators are public authorities that are in a position to provide strategic guidance, technical and financial support to Covenant of Mayors signatories and municipalities willing to sign up to it.

Alongside financial assistance, Covenant Coordinators typically support signatories in conducting a CO2 emission inventory and/or a climate risk assessment, as well as in preparing and implementing their Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans.

Covenant Territorial Coordinators are decentralised authorities, such as regions, provinces or grouping of local authorities,

Covenant National Coordinators are national public bodies such as ministries or national energy agencies.

Provide financial support to signatories, either in the form of direct support (grants, subsidies, etc.) and/or via human resources allocated to technical support

Support experience and knowledge sharing between (existing and potential) Covenant Signatories

Work in partnership with other Covenant National/Territorial Coordinators and Supporters to foster joint action and promote a coordinated approach

Participate in Covenant of Mayors activities and help identify relevant events where the Covenant of Mayors could be promoted

Report regularly, and not less than every two years, to the Covenant of Mayors Office on the activities carried out to support signatories and participate in the strategic implementation of the Covenant.

Covenant Coordinators’ participation in the initiative will be suspended by the Covenant of Mayors Office in case of non-compliance with the above-mentioned commitments.

How, in practice, are the Covenant Coordinators involved in the initiative and what are the benefits?

The advantages of becoming Covenant Coordinator are manifold:

Endorsement and recognition from the European Commission

Large visibility on an international scale, notably through promotion of their actions on the Covenant website

Networking and experience and knowledge-sharing with European counterparts

Scientific and technical feedback on tools and methodologies developed

Participation in dedicated discussion groups, workshops and other experience-sharing platforms

Last but not least, consolidation of territorial development and strengthening of local governance

In practice, your administration as Covenant Coordinator, has access to the password-protected area of the website ‘My Covenant’, which offers a platform to share information and key data with the whole Covenant community and to increase the visibility of your administration.

Through My Covenant, you can:

Keep your profile but also the local authorities’ profiles associated to yours, always up-to-date

How to apply?

After confirmation of eligibility, fill-in and sign the commitment statement you will receive, and send it back to the Covenant Helpdesk (coordinators[at]eumayors.eu)

Upon reception of the duly filled-in and signed commitment statement, the Covenant of Mayors Office will create an online profile for your administration that will allow you to actively participate in the Covenant of Mayors community and help you better support your associated signatories.

Covenant Coordinators and the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy

I have signed a partnership agreement to be Covenant Coordinator in 2015 or before, do I have to join the new initiative?

No, there is no obligation for existing Covenant of Mayors Coordinators to join the new initiative. The administration will keep its status, and can decide if and when to renew its commitments to support signatories in achieving their targets for 2030, and develop their adaptation measures. You should however encourage signatories of your territory to join the new initiative in order to scale up their ambitions.

I am not a Covenant Coordinator yet and I would like to join the new initiative, how can I join?

To obtain the status of Covenant Coordinator or to renew your commitment, please refer to "How to apply".

Local and Regional Energy Agencies (LAREAs)

Why should the LAREAs be involved in the Covenant of Mayors?

Achieving the requirements and objectives of the Covenant of Mayors does not only require political commitment, but also technical capacities. Local and regional energy agencies have been active in these fields for decades and their knowledge and expertise in local energy policy could be very useful for the Covenant signatories. Hence the Covenant of Mayors is a good opportunity for Energy Agencies to have their role better recognised and to gain more visibility to their actions.

Local and regional energy agencies should play a double role deriving from their missions: first, as promoters of the Covenant of Mayors towards the cities and towns in their areas, and second, as providers of technical expertise for the Covenant signatories, especially those lacking the necessary financial and/or human resources to fulfil their commitments under the Covenant.

Hence, LAREAs are encouraged to enter (re)new(ed) cooperation agreementsdirectly with the public authority(ies) of their territory to support them in achieving the requirements and objectives of the Covenant of Mayors. LAREAs can become Covenant Supporters and can also work in close co-operation with the Covenant Coordinators, acting as their armed wing to deliver technical support to Covenant signatories.

How to get involved in the Covenant of Mayors process?

Local and regional energy agencies can become Covenant Supporter by signing a commitment document in which they engage in supporting local and regional authorities on their territories. More information on the procedure here.

The Covenant of Mayors East Cooperation Platform

What is the cooperation platform?

The cooperation platform is an e-mail discussion list targeted at signatories of the Covenant of Mayors from the former East Bloc and post-soviet countries. These municipalities share a common history and former administrative structure, which influence the operational framework of these local authorities until today.
The cooperation platform gives signatories the possibility to exchange with each other on the topics of BEI/SEAP elaboration and implementation and monitoring. It should especially enable beginners to receive advice from frontrunners.

Who can subscribe?

Covenant Signatories, Coordinators and Supporters from the Covenant of Mayors in former East bloc and post-soviet countries.

What topics shall be discussed?

Any technical question or recommendation related to BEI/SEAP elaboration and implementation, and monitoring.
For administrative questions (on topics such as password, extranet, extension of deadlines etc.) please contact the relevant helpdesk: info-east[at]eumayors.eu (Covenant of Mayors East initiative) or info[at]eumayors.eu (CoMO).

Language

You are free to write in English or Russian.

Where and how can I subscribe?

Enter the extranet ‘my covenant` with your e-mail address and password. Go to ‘my account’ > ‘my profile’ and subscribe to the platform by clicking on ‘yes’ for the Covenant East Discussion List.

Go to http://lists.eumayors.eu/sympa and click on ‘First Login?’. Enter your e-mail address and click on ‘Request fist password’. The password will be sent to your e-mail address. Please also check if it landed in spam.

How to use the cooperation platform?

Using the cooperation platform you can send messages to everybody else who has subscribed to it.
When you have subscribed to the platform, you can send a message by sending an e-mail to the e-mail address: covenant-east-discussions[at]lists.eumayors.eu.
Everybody subscribed in the discussion list will receive your e-mail with your question.If you want to answer to a question please respond the e-mail, by replying to covenant-east-discussions[at]lists.eumayors.eu.

How to unsubscribe?

To unsubscribe the cooperation platform please enter the extranet ‘my covenant` with your e-mail address and password.
Go to ‘my account’ > ‘my profile’ and unsubscribe the platform by clicking on ‘no’ for the Covenant East Discussion List.